


Willkommen Fräulein Robinson

by TeaandBanjo



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: AU, Did I say I do?, MFMM Year of Tropes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 13:11:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12912624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaandBanjo/pseuds/TeaandBanjo
Summary: Jack Robinson's dreams and his waking life are a bit different.





	1. In the cool dark of the early morning

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is written for the November trope of "surprise marriage". I hope you are all surprised...
> 
> MercurialBianca, thank you for your detailed and careful beta reading. It's a stronger story now.

Acres of tall, dry grass waved in the breeze. The biplane waited, with the engine running and the prop spinning. 

Miss Fisher sprinted away from him, down the strip of mowed runway. Her coat and scarf trailed behind her, fluttering like the grass. She reached for wing struts, put a boot up on the wing, and she dropped herself into the cockpit of the Moth.

The engine whined and the propeller blurred into a shimmering disk. Then the plane flung itself down the runway and into the air. He could feel the vibration in his chest as the plane flew over.

The sky was empty except for clouds.

 

****

 

Jack woke up.

His bedroom was dark, just enough light to see the rounded shape of the woman next to him. Her steady, even breathing was almost snoring, but he wouldn't ever tell her that.

He slid quietly out of bed. Goodness knows she needed her sleep. He smiled to himself.

The house was quiet, except for his bare feet on the wood. Sounds of soft breathing reached his ears from the second bedroom. The tall clock ticked steadily as he padded through the living room, and the kitchen was silent in the moonlight. In fact, there was enough light to read “Flappers: Future Females, or Dangerous Delusions?” on the cover of Women’s Choice magazine. 

A twist of the wrist and there was the scrape of metal on metal as he unlatched the door into the garden and stepped out into the moonlight. The air was cooler here.

Sharp gravel poked into the soles of his feet, reminding him that this was reality, here, out in the garden. The scent of flowers hung in the still air and the stars glittered overhead.

The airplane and the airfield and the pilot were a dream. 

The kitchen door creaked, and he turned. 

“Sorry, love. I didn't mean to wake you.” He met her halfway. She hadn't bothered with a robe, so the pale fabric of her nightgown emphasized the shape of her pregnant belly.

“It wasn't you, Gianni. I'm blaming the baby.” He couldn't see her smile, but he could hear it in her voice.

“I had another dream.”  
“With the detectives? Will you tell me about it tomorrow?” She put her hand on his shoulders and gazed up at him.

“The murder weapon was polonium… and Miss Fisher flew away in an airplane. That's when I woke up.” He found her hips with his hands.

“Sounds exciting.” She snuggled a little closer.

“It was, but it all felt so final.”

“You need to get back to sleep. You and the boys have plans.”

“A picnic, and make sure they are tired enough to sleep. I'm going to put off grading the papers until Sunday.”

“I can help with those.” Her dark eyes were serious.

“Absolutely not.” His thumbs traced along her hip bones. He felt the baby stir. “I won't ask my poor, long suffering wife to have anything to do with it. Thirty-seven exams featuring a horribly sentimental piece of German poetry that just happens to use the right verb forms, and fifty eight papers about the history of economic conflict in Alsace-Lorraine.”

“I did offer!” Concetta’s giggle was low and soft.

“Do you want us to stay home to help you and Dot?”

“No. You and Hugh moved all the heavy stuff yesterday. Your sister wants to help with all the rest of it.”

“Well, you two have fun sorting baby things. “

She laughed. “Mending baby things! It will be a dull day.” She raised a hand to pet the back of his neck.

“It's never dull around here.” 

“Let’s go back inside, Gianni. You need to make sure I get back to sleep.” Her mouth turned up in what he thought might be an imitation of his smirk.

He held her tighter. “I can't resist a lady who knows what she wants.”


	2. In the warm light of the afternoon

The picnic basket on Jack’s arm was much lighter than it had been on the way out, this morning. Concetta Robinson wasn’t a woman to let her boys go hungry, not if she could help it. (some time ago, Jack observed that “our boys” referred to Hugh and Neville, but “my boys” included him in the group.)

Jack recalled Hugh as an infant. There was not much to connect the tiny, bald baby to the sturdy, energetic eight-year-old who asked so many questions, and hung on every word as he or Concetta answered.

In a similar way, newborn Neville had resembled a potato. Now he was a wiry school boy with dark hair and brown eyes from Concetta, and a certainty of his own understanding that Jack remembered from his own boyhood. Jack’s life since 1914 had given him a profound distrust in his own plans and his seemingly rational conclusions. _I hope the boy has an easier time of it._

In the aftermath of the police strikes, Jack remembered, he’d been an unemployed man with a wife and two little boys to support. He had one suit to his name, and a lot of skills that didn’t seem relevant to peacetime life as a civilian. That strange path had ended with a classroom full of high school children addressing him as “Herr Robinson.” _Also, an enormous pile of papers, awaiting my attentions with a red pencil._

____

Hugh was excited to get home, and raced ahead. Neville was tired from the day, and stayed next to Jack. 

____

Jack noticed a car parked in front of the house, which was unusual. Something familiar about that car...

____

The front parlor was not tidy. Baby sized things lay in small drifts, and Dot’s sewing bag was open on the couch. That wasn’t what he expected, and he felt the hair on the back of his neck standing up. It looked like two of the most efficient women he knew had dumped out some boxes and been interrupted.

____

Dot stepped out of the kitchen. She was wearing one of Concetta’s aprons.

____

“Where’s” was all he managed to say before Dot caught his eye and twitched her head in the direction of the hall to the bedrooms.

____

He concluded that his sister was trying to detach him from the boys. _Something is up. Play along..._

____

“Hugh,” he said, making eye contact with the boy, “Put the jar with the spiders on top of the piano. We will look them up later.” He handed the hamper over. “Take this, and go help your aunt.”

____

Dot had Neville firmly in tow, and was on her way into the kitchen. “Are you ready to help make dinner?” she asked, leaning down to her nephew. “Come wash your hands.”

____

_That wasn't really an answer, Dot. What is going on? -_ He viciously suppressed the part of his brain that was whispering worst-case scenarios as left the living room in the direction of the bedrooms.

____

His attempt to stay calm was derailed by the surprise appearance of Dr. MacMillan in the hall.

____

“Congratulations.” The bedroom door was closed behind her, and she was holding out her hand.

____

“Pardon me?” 

____

“Textbook,” stated the doctor.

____

“Textbook?” Jack concluded that the doctor was enjoying his baffled expression.

____

“I wish they all went that way.” the doctor smiled. “Concetta is fine. Go see them.”

____

“Isn’t that supposed to happen next week?” Jack asked, a little breathlessly.

____

“That was our best guess, give or take a couple of weeks. It's not an exact science.” The doctor shrugged. She was still holding out her hand.

____

“Oh,” said Jack, who wondered if he could politely pick up the doctor and move her out of the way. He settled for accepting the handshake.

____

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning to check on everyone.” She slid around him and was on her way out.

____

Jack took a deep breath. Clearly he had missed a lot of excitement. It was also clear that he was going to stay uneasy until he opened the door.

____

The door squeaked. One of these days, he was going to have to do something about that…

____

Concetta was sitting up, propped with all the pillows. Her hair was in a messy braid, not like her at all, but she was lovely, and she was cuddling a tiny bundle, just like she had held Hugh and Neville. Her eyes were shining.

____

“Surprised?” she asked, with a tired smile.

____

“Yes. You have no idea. Is there room for me to sit?” She nodded. He sat next to her and kissed her hair. How was she so calm? “Who is this?”

____

“Meet Miss Robinson.” The tiny girl’s eyes were closed, and she had a few wisps of curly dark hair. “Does she look like a Phryne?”

____

“She’s beautiful, but why would we do that to a child?”

____

“You always complain about all the Victorias and Elizabeths in your classes. How about a name no one else has?”

____

“Yes, but that one?” Jack asked. “You know it means ‘toad’, don’t you?”

____

“It will mean whatever she wants it to mean.”

____

“So will ‘Jane.’ Can I hold her?” Jack changed the subject and wondered how long that would last.

____

Concetta shifted so that he could get a hand under the baby’s head and the other under her body. He held the girl against his chest and watched her breathe.

____

“Gianni, in your dream, where do you think that plane was going?” asked Concetta, as her eyes closed.

____

Jack was pretty sure this wasn't a question that made enough sense to discuss, so he ignored it.

____

“Jane,” said Jack, addressing the baby.

____

The girl’s eyes opened. They were very blue.

____

“Who are you going to be?” He couldn't help smiling. “Take your time.”

____

Small Miss Robinson yawned, showing off a small pink tongue and toothless gums before closing her eyes. 

____

“Jane,” agreed Mrs. Robinson, then yawned herself.

____

Jack listened to the two ladies snoring for quite some time.

____


End file.
